The day was unfortunately hot. Even in the shade of such a large tree as the one Jack and co. were sitting under there was little relief from the sweltering heat. It was only spring but the temperature of the day was bore the full brunt of summer's might. The air was completely still as though nature itself waited with baited breath for the outcome of this all important exam.
"Uuuggh, how long until it's our turn?" Clay complained, "I'm dying here."
"We'll probably be among the last few parties tested. We'll be lucky if we get to it before tomorrow." Iris answered.
Iris' prediction was indeed correct. The party was sat under an old oak from morning till noon and after they returned from lunch from noon until early evening. Only when the sun gently kissed the horizon did their turn finally arrive. They as well as ten-odd other parties were called in together, they were the last batch of students to be tested.
"Party #1000 'Clay's Battalion' head to the last door on your left. The test will begin in three minutes." The guide quickly directed the last batch of parties before hurrying out of the colosseum.
The party quickly headed into their designated arena, one of the things Conquest Academy hated the most was tardiness. This was not born through misguided impatience, from the feelings 'my time is incredibly valuable', but instead because in the wilds being on time was a matter of life and death. Arriving even seconds later to a distress signal could result in the death of an entire party. Furthermore having to linger in one area because one party was late to a rendezvous could easily result in Magic Beasts ambushing them.
Walking into their arena Clay immediately voiced his first impression.
"It's pretty roomy in here." Clay walked casually towards the center of the arena.
"It is larger than I thought it would be, plenty of space for plenty of beasts." Amber chimed in.
The arena they were in was a rounded rectangle and measured roughly a hundred feet in length and more than half that in width. It was plenty of room to move around in, more than enough really, and this building contained twelve of them. The arena they were standing in and presumably the rest of them as well had one door in and out for people and three gates on the other three walls for various creatures. It was apparent that the Academy would also be testing their awareness during battle as well as their raw combat ability.
"Graduating students of Conquest Academy, welcome to the colosseum. The first wave of wild beasts will be released in one minute, counting from now. Prepare yourselves and show us your best. Good hunting!" An announcement rang through the arena as they were checking it out startling them back into alertness.
"Form up, backs to the entrance! Triangles friends, protect the mage and summoner!" Clay quickly reacted to the alert.
The party reacted with equal speed, forming up several feet in front of the entrance giving themselves room to retreat in all directions should they need to. Being in formation, with no enemies yet in sight they had a moment to think and prepare before combat began. Having this moment Jack quickly realized and went to voice a point when all three of the gates opened.
Out of each of the three gates a single creature prowled. As they fully emerged their identities were revealed. The three beasts they faced in the first round were pack foxes. These creatures were a breed of fox the size of a wolf and with hunting habits to match. They were neither the strongest nor the weakest of wild beasts but were firmly in the middle. As with all pack creatures they were geometrically stronger the greater they were in number. Three of such creatures was already a greater threat than most students would have faced on the field trip.
Said dangerous creatures prowled out of the dark tunnels used to transport monsters through the arenas and quickly scented the air the air searching for prey. Clearly they had not been fed satisfactory meals during their stay here. However their next actions differing from their normal behavior.
When the foxes attention focused on the party of young men and women in front of them rather than going into alert hunting stances, lowering themselves towards the floor and attempting to encircle this delicious prey, these wolf-like foxes immediately adopted the docile appearance of sheep. Not only did they not show any attention of attacking they actually walked towards the party while wagging their tails. They totally transformed from vicious predators to pet dogs.
Seeing such a situation the staff members in charge of this examination were dumbfounded. In all the time they had been working there they had never once witnessed an event even half as strange as the one they were currently watching. The faces of 'Clay's Battalion' however were twisted with a mix of realization, embarrassment and awkwardness.
"I was about to say as much, but I'm fairly certain these first few rounds won't involve any combat..." Jack belatedly reminded his teammates.
"Umm, ... yeah. Well, how exactly are we gonna deal with these guys though?" Clay gave voice to the current problem.
"That's... I'm not sure. So long as we don't attack them they won't fight us." Jack replied.
The test overseers were also at a loss as to the continuation of the test. 'Passing' a wave meant to kill all of the beasts attacking them however... there was no combat at all. It was like a day in the park, this group of young friends brought their pets out to have a picnic. Such an idyllic illusion seemed to hang over the arena.
A descision had to be made in the end, and it was the clock that made it for them. The waves were set to continue automatically unless halted by the examiners. Without any action being taken passing the time allotted the next wave automatically began.
Once more the gates opened and beasts prowled forth. This time their silhouettes numbered four. As they emerged their appearance was revealed. These were actual wolves, a size larger than the pack foxes and a size meaner as well. The two species of pack animals were natural enemies.
Seeing these wolves enter, the test examiners woke from their stupor and imagined their problem solved. Even if the foxes weren't willing to fight with the appearance of these wolves it didn't matter. Two packs couldn't exist in one hunting ground. They would inevitably fight to the death in this enclosed space. And in the likely case of the wolves victory they would quickly move on to more tender and delicious prey - the students.
Or that was the scenario they imagined as they witnessed the first fierce appearance of the wolves. The actual outcome was no different than before. These wolves also became pet dogs, their fierce and majestic demeanor disappearing without a trace. Even their ferocious territorial instincts were completely unrecognizable, seeing the foxes edging closer towards the source of the strange influence over them they began to whine in jealousy while quickly jogging towards the party.
Less than five minutes since the exam began Jack was surrounded by creatures vying for his attention. Lacking the number of hands to pet them all at the same time Jack recruited the rest of his party members to help handle the tide of beasts. This was a duty the party was familiar with after their time in the wilds. The examiners were well and truly confounded, totally unsure of how to proceed with this examination. The only thing they could do at this point was to pause the test and ask their bosses what exactly was going on.
The response from the academy was swift and direct. There was no need to continue with the intermediary stages of the test after viewing the extent of Jack's mysterious ability. They were to retrieve the wild beasts currently in the arena and then immediately move on to the climax.
Hearing this the examiners immediately went into action, contacting the party through the speaker system.
"Attention, Party #1000, 'Clay's Battalion', due to the... unique situation that has occurred today we will be moving on to the final part of the test shortly. However before that the Academy has asked that you please direct the wild beasts currently in the arena to return through the gates."
The sudden announcement was quite unexpected and caught the party off guard. They paused awkwardly in the middle of petting the many canines surrounding them before turning to look at Jack. Jack himself looked at the wolves and foxes around him. He was rather unsure if he could fully communicate to these creatures his desire, and further than that, if they would actually obey him.
But there was only one way to find out and if they didn't empty the arena.
"Uumm... well, it's been fun little ones but you need to go back home now." Jack attempted to direct the canines surrounding him. They stared back at him blankly.
"Come on now, time to go back." Jack used a firmer tone of voice as he began to walk through them towards the gate on the right. "Come on, follow me now. Time to go eat."
As ridiculous as it looked and seemed it did provide results. The canine creatures did follow him, albeit with confusion still evident on their expressions. Jack led them over to the right gate and gestured into it while looking back at the foxes and wolves.
"In you go guys. Time for you to go back." Jack once again attempted to direct them to leave.
The wild creatures seeing him stop sat back down and tilted their heads at various angles while looking at him. Failing once more Jack frowned in consternation. He made one last attempt. Adopting a serious expression he snapped twice to attract their attention and sharply gestured to the open gate.
"In you go." Jack ordered in his most serious tone.
Finally the desired result appeared. The wolves and foxes walked into the gate with their ears and tails drooping low, clearly sad. It was a surprisingly emotional display for two groups that were supposed to have been killing each other.
Finally the arena was empty again, and the exam could continue. The examiners once again activated the speaker system and made an announcement to the party.
"The final stage of the exam is a bona-fide Magic beast. Please be on your guard and try to survive. The wave will begin in ... five ... four ... three ... two ... one ..."